Apple has recently raised the possibility of using its portable devices to perform transactions in cryptocurrency. This was made after a change in the rules by which it approves software for its App Store. Until now, Apple has rejected apps allowing cryptocurrency transactions, in most cases citing rules that banned developers from submitting apps violating the law.

According to the new App Store review guidelines, the apps may facilitate transmission of approved virtual currencies only if they comply with all laws for the territories it functions on. However, those guidelines fail to specify which currencies are “approved” or how one goes about getting approval from Apple.

An alternative possibility for the rule change is that Apple allows "currencies" like Bitcoin to make in-app purchases. Despite the fact that such payments are widespread on the App Store, they have no specific rules to regulate them. However, Apple has previously been quite aggressive about removing apps from the App Store if they enabled Bitcoin payments. For instance, the Blockchain.info app was removed without any explanation. Another app, secure messaging service Gliph, was also forced to cancel accepting Bitcoin with messages. Little explanation was provided as well.

Only one developer got an explanation from the company as to why their app was pulled from the store. BitPak was removed by Apple from its App Store two years ago, and its developer Rob Sama asked one of the Apple staff members why that had happened. The answer was the following: because Bitcoin is not legitimate in all jurisdictions for which the app was for sale. The requirement cited, from the rule 22.1 in Apple’s guidelines, remains present, but it looks like it is now superseded by the new rule about cryptocurrencies.

The experts believe that this move may have come too late for the company to capitalize on the Bitcoin boom. In fact, Apple’s repeated rejections of Bitcoin apps forced their developers to build Bitcoin wallets able to integrate into a user’s web browser, thus completely negating the need for Apple’s approval. The most popular of them, Coinpunk, was developed by Kyle Drake last year, and funded by the Bitcoin Foundation due to its ability to support lots of innovations in keeping with open source ideals.